Inferno of Ice
by Flowerperson
Summary: A collection of drabbles containing Zuko and Katara. Drabble 3, Pleasure: 'Tearing my heart in two… is this your pleasure? ' Drabble 4: Pain: 'No, this is not my pleasure. This is my pain.'[Zutara]
1. Walk

**Disclaimer:** I don't own **'Avatar: The Last Airbender'**  
**Drabble Title:** Walk**  
Drabble Rating:** K+**  
Categories:** Romance  
**Word Count:** 580  
**Pairings:** Zuko x Katara (Zutara), hints of Aang x Katara (Kataang) and Sokka x Yue**  
Notes:** Being a little unoriginal Flowerperson, I've decided to join in the trend and make my own drabble series. Also, we're all plagued by those little plot-bunnies (I tried to lock them in the cupboard, really! But there's just too many!). It's only fair for us to free them once in a while.

This drabble is post-war.

* * *

**INFERNO OF ICE**

_A KataraZuko drabble collection._

**_Flowerperson  
_**© 2006

* * *

**Walk**

Katara's first walk through the streets of the Fire Nation Capital after The War is full of people with black hair, light skin and narrow gold (or grey) eyes pointing at her brown hair, dark skin and large blue eyes. At first she ignores it. Let them point and mutter to each other. She didn't care what they thought.

It was only when she came across two fearsome men commenting on the _"exotic Water Tribe girl"_ was whilst advancing on her like predators that she decided to bring Sokka along on her next walk.

(Of course, she was more than capable of ridding the scum, since she was a master waterbender and they were not benders at all, but what would happen if she came across two master firebenders?)

Katara's second walk through the streets of the Fire Nation Capital after The War is full of embarrassment, as Sokka threatens to castrate any man that so much as comes close to her, and flirts with every pretty girl.

It was only when Sokka actually lunged for a salesperson that had been trying to sell lingerie to the "_romantic Water Tribe couple" _that she decided to bring Aang along on her next walk.

(And tell Yue about what Sokka's been up to.)

Katara's third walk through the streets of the Fire Nation Capital after The War is even _more _embarrassing as Aang had to visit every stall that they pass, and buys virtually everything at these stalls (he had been provided with money from Fire Lord Zuko to last a lifetime, and by the end of the day, it was all gone). Choruses of _"I'll buy the lot!" _are played like a broken record in Katara's head. Not only that, but he happened to buy some liquor and dealing with an intoxicated Avatar was not at all fun.

It was only when she felt his hand passing over her bottom that she decided to bring Toph on her next walk.

(And beat Aang until he was barely breathing.)

Katara's fourth walk through the streets of the Fire Nation Capital after The War is hectic, as Toph seems adamant on picking fights with everyone she comes across. Even with her blindness, she marches over to a fully grown man more than twice her height and yells: _"What are _you_ looking at?"_

It was only when Toph demolished a pub that refused to let 'under-age civilians in' that she decided to bring Fire Lord Zuko on her next walk.

(And suggest that Toph take some anger-management classes.)

Katara's fifth walk through the streets of the Fire Nation Capital after The War is non-existent, since Pri—Fire Lord Zuko (she kept on forgetting his new status) suggests that he gives her a tour of the Fire Palace's gardens instead. The flower-arrangements are beautiful, and the ponds are crystal clear. She spends the whole day sitting on a bench with him, and the sunset manages to take her breath away. She had never admired the sun before, being a waterbender, but here she saw its beauty. She was surprised that Zuko had accepted her offer, and even more shocked when they managed to talk for hours without having a single argument. They debate, reminisce and learn more about each other's views and pasts… _"I lost my mother too"_.

It was only when his lips descended on hers that she decided to _always_ bring Zuko on her walks.

(And show him just how _"exotic" _she could be.)


	2. Moon

**Disclaimer:** I don't own **'Avatar: The Last Airbender'**  
**Drabble Title:** Moon**  
Drabble Rating:** K+**  
Categories:** Angst/Tragedy  
**Word Count:** 514  
**Pairings:** Zuko x Katara (Zutara), Sokka x Yue**  
Notes:** The first bit in italics is from my old book of nursery rhymes. It was my favourite night time poem, although it looks pretty stupid now I reflect on it.

* * *

**INFERNO OF ICE**

_A KataraZuko drabble collection._

**_Flowerperson  
_**© 2006

* * *

**Moon**

_I see the moon,  
And the moon sees me.  
God bless the moon,  
And God bless me._

She had caught Sokka staring at the moon plenty of times—too many occasions for her to remember—and would simply sigh and turn away, gazing at her feet. When he would finally give up and return to his tent, Katara would glance to the ethereal orb and silver and wish, wish for Sokka to be okay.

Every night, it was the same routine.

A few weeks later, after a surprising turn of events in which Prince Zuko and his uncle Iroh had joined the group of four (excluding Appa and Momo), making it a group of six. They had mostly kept to themselves although Iroh was very sociable but at times the two would converse quietly quite a distance from the others. Sokka didn't trust them in the slightest, so always had his eye on them. Iroh was too cheerful to mind and Zuko hated the Water Tribe boy anyway, so wasn't really that bothered.

One night, whilst Sokka was going through his regular sighing-and-staring-at-the-moon exercise, Zuko sat next to her. She ignored him at first, staring at her brother. That was, until, Zuko spoke up. "Does he do this every night?"

She nodded once, silently.

"Why?"

Katara turned to him with a blank look. Really, it hurt too much to think why. She remembered who the moon used to be too. She had talked with her, and laughed with her, and thought of how she was so… _selfless_ and would do _anything _for her country, for her home. "Why what?" Why had that Fire Nation general killed the Moon Spirit? Why had Yue given up her life? Why was the world so ruthless, always making the innocent pay the price?

"Why does your brother keep looking at the moon?"

She sighed, turning away from him. "It symbolises someone he loved… someone he lost."

Zuko didn't mention it again, and neither did she. But one night, when Sokka had retired to the camp, she noticed another figure gazing up at the moon and the twinkling stars.

"Zuko?" she whispered into the darkness. "What's wrong?"

He glanced to her before turning back to the sky. "I was wondering if it somehow symbolised the person I loved… the person I lost." She sat beside him, placing her hand on his for comfort.

"And did it?"

"She guided my way when it seemed too dark. She was there for me when I was lonely. She was beautiful. She was… perfect." He must have been talking about some past girlfriend, and that thought made Katara grimace for some reason.

"What was her name?"

"Ursa… she… she was my mother." Not a girlfriend then.

Katara blinked away her tears, "I lost my mother too."

They both returned to camp without another word, yet both understanding the brief yet deep conversation they had just had. Maybe, somehow, they would grow closer and learn to share their loss. Maybe, somehow, they could learn to love each other to make up for the emptiness.

But for now, they were satisfied to watch the moon together, as part of a new routine.

-


	3. Pleasure

**Disclaimer:** I don't own **'Avatar: The Last Airbender'**  
**Drabble Title:** Pleasure**  
Drabble Rating:** K+**  
Categories:** Angst/Romance  
**Word Count:** 741  
**Pairings:** Zuko x Katara (Zutara)**  
Notes:** Inspired by listening to 'Straight-Jacket Feeling' by All American Rejects. Part 1 of a two-part drabble.

This may later be incorporated into '**Smoke**', depending on how long that will take and if I see the situation in a different light. You might want to read '**Smoke**' first but it isn't at all necessary. It just provides some background information. _Please note that at the moment, this is in the far future of '__**Smoke**_

* * *

**INFERNO OF ICE**

_A KataraZuko drabble collection._

_**Flowerperson  
**_© 2007

* * *

**Pleasure**_  
_

She holds him by the scruff of his neck, both submerged in her element. For her, it comes to her midriff. For him, kneeling before her in _defeat_, it comes to his neck. He shudders; she holds tighter, eyes burning.

Tears glisten. Fury? Misery?

"I thought you had changed," she whispers.

He has changed; changed for the better. His determination

**(to find the Avatar)**

**(to reclaim his honour)**

**(to be his Father's Son, and replace his Father's Daughter) **

has consumed his being, erasing the years of morals his Uncle has drilled into him from their long sea-voyage together. Has it been worth it? Of course. Never doubt, never regret…

"_Never regret what you have done. It was once what you wanted."_

His eyes clench at the unbidden memory of one of his Uncle's proverbs. He does not need it – not now – when he is oh-so-close to the edge. Just one more push, he thinks; one more push awaits him before he can let go – _snap! _– and forget this _pain_, this _loss_, this _feeling _that he can't shake off, break off.

"Can't you even look at me?!" she asks, hysteric. He hesitates, thinking of how to answer. He can't so he doesn't.

It's raining.

This is what he assumes. Although, when he opens his eyes he finds that it is not the sky crying, but _her_. Her arms are quivering, probably wanting to shake him for being such a _jerk_, such an _idiot_. He wouldn't blame her if she suddenly decides to throttle him right then and there with her own two hands. It's more personal. Like a lover's embrace.

Love. What a stupid, stupid word in this stupid, stupid world with the stupid, stupid people with their stupid, stupid feelings. He would be so much better without it, without her.

_Liar_, some part of him hisses. Begrudgingly, he admits it. Without her, he would probably be lost, dead, gone.

What would have happened if he had not captured her as bait for the Avatar? Would he still have fallen in l—

Still after all this time, he cannot even think the word.

He looks up at her eyes, moist and _sad_. Yes, she is _sad _because of him. He remembers a time when those eyes were alight, full of mischief; shocked, wide open; half-closed, as they leaned in to kiss…

The taste of her – cool and sweet, just as he had imagined beforehand – materialises upon his tongue. It is addictive, and he is almost overwhelmed by the need to try her once more. _Just once. That's all I want, please._

Now they are broken apart; two different sides of a violent war, threatening to destroy every soul involved in the frantic struggle between the Fire Nation and those that remain of a splintered world. He doesn't want her lost; doesn't think he can take it. He needs to tell her, now, how he feels before they are both lost to _good _and _evil_.

"I love you, Katara."

It is shocking how although he cannot even think the word, it slips past his lips as easy as her name does. Amusing, even. And – _curse the Spirits _– he was so near the edge that he actually laughed.

She too shows her surprise – at least the tears have stopped – before her brow creases at his chuckling. "H-How can you say that? How can you say that you love me and then _laugh_? How dare you! Because of you, I have to choose between Aang and you; choose between _saving the world _and _saving my heart_! Make a sacrifice… For the benefit of our world, in honour of my mother's _memory_!

"It would have been so easy if you just didn't say _anything _then I could have pretended that you didn't share my feelings and gone with Aang, knowing that you would not accept me into your world if I chose you! Why did you do this? Why do you tear me down like this when I think I'm at my strongest? Why do…"

She takes a breath, her hands relaxing their hold. He dares not move, knowing that even if he wanted to, he is at too much of a disadvantage with this full moon and this pool of water surrounding them. When she speaks again, her voice is almost silent. If it weren't for their close proximity, he would not have heard it.

"Tearing my heart in two… Is this your pleasure?"

-


	4. Pain

**Disclaimer:** I don't own **'Avatar: The Last Airbender'**  
**Drabble Title:** Pain**  
Drabble Rating:** K+**  
Categories:** Angst/Romance  
**Word Count:** ??  
**Pairings:** Zuko x Katara (Zutara)**  
Notes:** Inspired by listening to 'Straight-Jacket Feeling' by All American Rejects. Part 2 of a two-part drabble.

This may later be incorporated into '**Smoke**', depending on how long that will take and if I see the situation in a different light. You might want to read '**Smoke**' first but it isn't at all necessary. It just provides some background information. _Please note that at the moment, this is in the far future of '__**Smoke**_

* * *

**INFERNO OF ICE**

_A KataraZuko drabble collection._

_**Flowerperson  
**_© 2007

* * *

**Pain**_  
_

She holds him by the scruff of his neck, both submerged in her element. For her, it comes to her midriff. For him, kneeling before her in _defeat_, it comes to his neck. He shudders; she holds tighter, eyes burning.

Let him be cold, she thinks; just like his heart.

Her vision is beginning to go blurry but she tries in vain to stop the tears.

"I thought you had changed," she whispers.

She has changed; changed for the worse. Her heart is full of people

**(Sokka)**

**(Mom)**

**(Dad)**

**(Gran-Gran)**

**(Aang)**

_**Him**_

that should take equal places so that she does not feel guilty; _he_, however, has broken that rule, taking up so much of her heart that the thought of him _hurts_. Is he worth it? He'd done good things, yet bad too.

"_But then, does anyone deserve that? He was doing the right thing. He spoke out against a heinous Fire Nation plan, but... what he's become now, just reflects his disfigurement. Sometimes I get the feeling he's a good person—he saved a whole village from annihilation—but then he just contradicts himself by threatening to destroy an innocent town in order to capture the Avatar so he can return home. But you know what? After hearing so many stories about the Fire Lord, I don't think that he'll __ever __welcome Zuko back… Avatar or no Avatar."_

Her fists clench at the unbidden memory of what she had said to the prince himself without even realising. When he had _deceived_ her. She does not need to remember all that they've been through together – Jet, the thunderstorm, the Spirit World… – when she is oh-so-close to giving it all up, giving up the world, just so she can be with _him_. She just wants to forget his warmth, his scent, his touch, his kiss. These memories she can't ditch, irritating her like an itch.

His eyes are closed. Is he disgusted with her? With how _she _has changed?

"Can't you even look at me?!" she asks, hysteric. He does not reply.

She's crying.

Now his eyes are open, staring at her in confusion. With a heart as cold and dead as his, he probably does not understand the concept of _misery_ and has probably never cried in his life, anti-emotions drilled into him as a child from his dictator of a father. Her arms are quivering, remembering all the struggle he has gone through with a family that does not want him and a backstabbing nation that were glad to get rid of the _one _person that wasn't _totally _bad.

She wants to hug him, to tell him that it will be okay because she _loves _him.

She's always known it. Ever since she has escaped from his clutches, there had been eternal loss in her heart, yearning for _him_, her captor, although it took a while for the rest of her to catch up with the feelings she had for him. This is so bittersweet: her unreciprocated love, as he could never love her, not while he was part of the Fire Nation. He could never kiss her like he had because he put his _honour _before that.

The taste of him – hot and spicy, just as she had predicted – materialises upon her tongue. It is addictive, and she is almost overwhelmed by the need to try him once more. _Just once. That's all I want, please._

Now they are broken apart; two different sides of a violent war, threatening to destroy every soul involved in the frantic struggle between the Fire Nation and those that remain of a splintered world. But she's willing to give up, to leave her side, for _him_. She would sacrifice anything and everything for _him_; couldn't he do the same?

She needs to tell him how she feels, just so she can be certain that he will reject her so she can follow Aang with no doubt.

_I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you…_

"I love you, Katara."

She is surprised, to say the least. She wasn't expecting it and is totally unprepared. What does she do? What does she say? Now that there is no doubt – _he loves her _– can she really forsake the world for him?

Even more unexpectedly, he begins to laugh but this time, she has a response. Indignation. "H-How can you say that? How can you say that you love me and then _laugh_? How dare you! Because of you, I have to choose between Aang and you; choose between _saving the world _and _saving my heart_! Make a sacrifice… For the benefit of our world, in honour of my mother's _memory_!"

Even though she would feel so guilty, her heart would not allow her to lose him. Him, who feels the same as her.

"It would have been so easy if you just didn't say _anything _then I could have pretended that you didn't share my feelings and gone with Aang, knowing that you would not accept me into your world if I chose you! Why did you do this? Why do you tear me down like this when I think I'm at my strongest? Why do…"

She takes a breath, her hands relaxing their hold. She needs to calm down, needs to think, needs to _plan_. There's no time. Aang needs her. Sokka needs her. The world needs her.

But Zuko needs her too.

When she speaks again, her voice is almost silent. "Tearing my heart in two… Is this your pleasure?" It is so silent in fact that she doubts that he can hear her.

_Just give up_, her mind tells her. _You can't take anymore. _

So she does. She lets go of him, stepping back and turning away. His laughter proves that he did not mean what he says and she is right to believe that his heart is nothing but stone. Go back to Aang. Go back to Sokka. Go back to saving the world.

Suddenly a warm hand grips her wrist tightly. Katara stops breathing.

She stares at his hand holding her wrist – white upon mocha – and remembers a similar situation, hidden in smoke. However, this time, his words are different.

"To see you torn in two, to see you hurt because of _me…_" Her blue eyes' focus moves from their point of contact to his face, so solemn that she feels her previous resolve crumble._ "_No, this is not my pleasure." He pushes himself to stand, towering over her by a good few inches. Her lips are tingling, pleading for the prince to kiss her.

"This is my pain."


End file.
